GSA is a phenomenon of familial bonding that has been delayed until adulthood.

2012 © All text and images are copyright by Genetic Sexual Attraction.

By Julie DeNeen

The Westermark Effect is a term used to describe the phenomenon of reverse sexual imprinting.

This term was coined by a Finnish anthropologist named Edvard Westermark to explain the hypothetical psychological effect through which people who live in close domestic proximity during the first few years of their lives become desensitized to later sexual attraction. In simple terms, it is a process by which children and families become averse to the idea of sexual relationships within the nuclear family unit. Scientists who've studied the Westermark Effect note that the years between birth and age six, are the most critical.

Most of us just take for granted the idea that we do not marry or engage sexually with our brothers/sisters and parents. Incest in it's traditional form usually evokes disgust and shock, as most people intrinsically hold onto the value that sexual relationships belong outside of the family unit. It usually takes something remarkably traumatic to allow us to focus on why we act the way we do. Why do we all cringe at the idea of a sexual encounter with a family member? Most people would say it's not normal, but wouldn't necessarily be able to explain why.

The Westermark Effect explains in part that there is something to the day in and day out familiarity that helps to create an aversion to sex with family members. Some people suggest that there is an olfactory component- nature's way of suppressing inbreeding. But even when families are constructed without the genetic similarity (in the case of parents adopting a child), this Westermark Effect develops between the genetically unrelated parents and the child. The mechanisms that allow for healthy development of children in a family, the parent's ability to turn "off" any sort of sexual desire for a child, and the preservation of the family unit- are complex. It must be a combination of genetics, social and psychological processes, time, and moral health. When one or more of these factors are not present, one may experience sexual abuse and/or traditional incest.

When a reunion occurs between a parent and child or siblings after many years of separation, none of the safeguards normally in place to grow a healthy and vibrant bond, are there. The time for imprinting is gone. In fact, the lost time can fuel an almost obsessive "mission" to make up what's been lost. Both people are fully matured sexual adults. The "walls" of the original family system are no more, and yet the individuals still feel the biological and psychological pull to bond as they originally should have. There may or may not be moral health which is another often overlooked component. People who are morally healthy can resist urges more readily than those who are not trained in the lost art of self-control. When the two individuals are genetically similar, the attraction can be overwhelming.

I liken GSA to having all the chemicals of a nuclear bomb in your hand with no proper container to hold it all. Those chemicals, when contained in their proper home- become a powerful force. When families healthily bond as intended, we witness lifelong, fierce, strong, powerful bonds that last for a lifetime and beyond. Those chemicals in their proper home make a family unbreakable against all sorts of tragedies and traumas. During GSA, there are all the chemicals and no container. The power without the restraint of boundaries can poison entire family systems as the two people struggle to resist the pull of an attraction.

Those of us who've survived GSA are on a mission to find a container. We cannot recreate the environment of the original container- it's just not possible. But we know that there is a way to "contain" those emotions and feelings in such a way that the individuals can form a long lasting bond that does not destroy families in the process.

The Westermark Effect